WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Ways and Means Committee approved six pieces of legislation with strong bipartisan support that will modernize the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood (“Chafee”), the nation’s program exclusively for the 16,000 youth who age out of the foster care system each year.
Each of these bills have received endorsements from more than 150 national, state, and local organizations. As a package, the reforms put a bipartisan focus on improving state utilization of Chafee funds, strengthening coordination between child welfare agencies and federal housing programs, expanding access to educational support and workforce training opportunities, improving support for foster youth who are parents or soon-to-be parents, expanding access to legal services, and prioritizing support networks and permanency for foster youth.
First Lady Melania Trump has put forward solutions and called attention to the challenges foster youth face through her Fostering the Future initiative and President Trump’s Fostering the Future for American Children and Families Executive Order. Earlier this month, the Ways and Means Committee hosted a bipartisan roundtable with the First Lady along with two former foster youth leaders that highlighted the need for reform and modernization in the Chafee program. Today’s legislation aligns with many of the priorities included in the Fostering the Future initiative and the Executive Order.
READ: Chafee Foster Care Reforms – Improving Outcomes for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care
Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) released the following statement after the Committee advanced the bipartisan legislation modernizing the Chafee program:
“Today, the Ways and Means Committee spoke up on behalf of the voiceless by advancing needed improvements to the Chafee program for the first time since its creation in 1999. Together with the spotlight First Lady Melania Trump has shone on the dire circumstances many foster youth face, today’s action moves us one step closer to delivering the same chance for foster youth at a good education, meaningful work, and fulfilling relationships as every other child in America. The bipartisan policies will help foster youth lead independent lives by expanding access to stable housing, increasing financial support for postsecondary education, increasing access to workforce training programs that lead to in-demand jobs, opening more access to evidence-based home visiting services for expectant and parenting mothers, improving access to legal services, and prioritizing relational health. I made a commitment to the First Lady when we held a powerful roundtable with her and two foster youth leaders that the Ways and Means Committee would make it a priority to get these bills to President Trump’s desk. Today, we made a down payment on that commitment, as well as on the commitment we have to the 16,000 youth who age out of the foster youth program each year.”
VIDEO: Roundtable with First Lady Melania Trump Highlights Importance of Supporting Foster Youth
Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act (H.R. 7432)
- Improves access to housing for youth aging out of foster care, and former foster youth, by strengthening coordination between Chafee and the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) housing voucher program administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development by:
- Aligning the age eligibility between programs ensuring youth can receive Chafee-funded supportive services for the full duration of the voucher.
- Updating the existing 30 percent cap on room and board to exclude housing supportive services for youth with FYI vouchers, and allowing the cap to be based on a rolling average over five years; and
- Requiring joint federal guidance to clarify rules and coordination of services between state child welfare agencies and local public housing authorities administering FYI vouchers.
Read a fact sheet on the bill here.
The bill passed the Committee 40-0.
Foster Youth Postsecondary Education Access and Success Act (H.R. 7463)
- Increases the individual education and training voucher (ETV) cap from $5,000 to $12,000 per student annually, while maintaining current funding levels for ETVs.
- Permits states to establish a grace period for youth to demonstrate satisfactory progress toward completion of a program, after an assessment and consultation with the youth.
- Requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a user-friendly, electronic, standard application form for ETVs, and requires states to make reasonable efforts to inform youth about the program to improve awareness and streamline access.
Read a fact sheet on the bill here.
The bill passed the Committee 39-0.
Foster Youth Workforce Opportunity Act (H.R. 7343)
- Expands use of Chafee ETVs to include short-term workforce and vocational training and credentialing programs.
- Expands ETVs for the costs of apprenticeships, GED, and remedial education, and provides one additional year of eligibility if used for remedial education.
Read a fact sheet on the bill here.
The bill passed the Committee 40-0.
Fresh Starts for Foster Youth Act (H.R. 7529)
- Improves access to legal services for youth and ensures states have processes in place to take into consideration legal issues impacting foster youth, such as housing, education, employment entry, and family conditions, as part of case planning in their transition to adulthood.
Read a fact sheet on the bill here.
The bill passed the Committee 42-0.
Support for Expectant and Parenting Foster Youth Act (H.R. 7655)
- Improves access to home visiting services offered through the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program for youth in foster care who are expecting or parenting.
- MIECHV is an evidence-based program that has demonstrated results in improving maternal and infant health outcomes and supporting early childhood development.
- Permits states to use Chafee funds to provide specialized case management to expectant and parenting youth.
Read a fact sheet on the bill here.
The bill passed the Committee 41-0.
Chafee Opportunities for New Networks and Existing Connection Trust (CONNECT) Act (H.R. 7995)
- Updates the purposes section of the Chafee program to reflect the importance of establishing meaningful connections with adults and other lifelong support networks.
- Adds a new purpose to clarify that Chafee funds may be used to help foster youth engage in their own permanency process and planning for independence.
- Requires HHS to issue guidance, in consultation with youth with foster care lived experience, regarding implementation of the new purposes including best practices, outreach and protocols for documenting supports for youth.
Read a fact sheet on the bill here.
The bill passed the Committee 40-0.
READ: Ways & Means Members Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Modernize the Chafee Foster Care Program to Improve Outcomes for Vulnerable Youth
READ: Chairman Smith Applauds First Lady Melania Trump’s Leadership and Ways & Means Committee’s Bipartisan Efforts to Improve Outcomes for Foster Youth
READ: Four Key Moments: Hearing on Harnessing Innovation & New Technology to Help America’s Foster Youth Succeed
READ: Five Key Moments: Hearing on Modernizing the Chafee Program to Help Vulnerable Foster Youth Reach Their Full Potential
READ: Chairman Smith Praises President Trump and First Lady for Supporting Foster Youth